He’s never been pinned down to stereotypes and is now set to play 10 characters in one film. Kamal Haasan on acting, awards and politics.

A dwarf, a don, a lady, a landlord…you’ve played them all. How come you felt the need to do 10 more roles in Dasavatharam?
It’s only the limitations of an actor and the distractions of the audience that make the former believe that there aren’t any more things to do and the latter to assume that it’s difficult to find new characters. In Dasavatharam, there are some characters you will see me playing for the first time.

Do the characters draw upon Lord Vishnu’s Dashavatar?
When we were thinking of the film’s name, the iconic image of Dashavatar struck us. Like the Ten Commandments, it’s a magical number and we decided to tout it. We use Vishnu’s Dashavatar as an iconic reference, but continue with our film, which is a global story that breaks topographies and timelines. It starts in 2008, goes back to the 12th century, then comes to 2004 and ends in 2008.  

Rumour has it that the first three minutes of Dashavataram cost Rs 3 crore and that you’ve roped in Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa to play cameos.
The film is expensive. You’ll realise that when you watch it. The other is a rumour spread by my friends from your, rather our estate, as I have also been a journalist. Since we are not giving out any news about the film, they make news about it that’s not fully true.  

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